Sarah Polley is Canada’s greatest secret. She has long been celebrated for her acting from childhood to adulthood, and her 2007 directorial debut feature Away from Her was well received. This past year saw the release of two more efforts she directed, Take this Waltz, an underrated treasure that subtly builds on themes she introduced in her first film, and then Stories We Tell, which is one of the best movies I saw all year, of any genre, from any country. It is soon to be released in US theaters, but has been playing in select theatres in Canada since September, and I haven’t felt this way about a documentary since Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop.
While Banksy’s focus was on the reception and credibility of art in general, Polley is more interested in storytelling, specifically the concept of storytelling on film, visual storytelling. This is another one of those documentaries whose effectiveness doesn’t depend on but is certainly augmented by an element of surprise so I’ll remain coy for the moment. Suffice it to say she is chronicling the history of her family in a way, revealing its non-traditional makeup and fairly unique dynamic that has resulted from some unusual revelations. In telling this story, she brilliant dismantles the idea that there can ever be one definitive “story” about an event, person, or family—that any attempt at one cohesive account relies on an editorial process of assimilating numerous separate accounts. Seriously, it’s masterfully done, with one big reveal in particular that is mind-blowing in terms of what we thought we knew about this story and how easily the presentation of a story can manipulate us. I hope Polley soon enjoys the status of a David Cronenberg or Atom Egoyan when it comes to celebrated Canadian auteurs. She’s the real deal.
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Published: Feb 12, 2013 01:15 am